For the first time in half a century, Britain is planning a major permanent Royal Navy deployment in the seas of Southeast and East Asia, led by the new aircraft carrier, HMS Queen Elizabeth. But how important was the Royal Navy in Asia-Pacific between the 1830s and 1960s?

In this podcast The Critic’s political editor, Graham Stewart, discusses with Professor Jeremy Black, author of Geopolitics and the Quest for Dominance, whether returning the White Ensign to the Pacific is a welcome sign of Global Britain or a misguided exercise in post-imperial overstretch.